Mixing valve



July 27, 1954 J. c. sTRlcKLER 2,684,691

MIXING VALVE Filed- July 25, 1949 Patented July 27, 1954 i UNITED STATE-.s PATENT oFFicE MIXING VALVE John C.' Strickler, San Francisco. Calif.

Application July-.25, 1949, Serial No. 106,530

4 Claims. l

,'Ihis invention relates to mixing Valves 4of the .kind .employed toregulate vthe temperature of a liquid .by proportioning the amount of flow from .hot .and cold sources of supply.

An object of the .present invention is to pro- :vide ,a mixing valve of simple and .durable contructioncapable of voperation b y a rsinglehandle .or lever to regulate temperature from all cold zto fall hot Vand .any desired mixture of the .two .and Ato regulate iiow from zero orshut-.oif posi- Vtiouto the maximum possible. Another object -of the invention is to provide a mixing valve for ,controlling .the admixture `of .two flu-ids under vpressure through va piston-like valve element in such a manner that the pressures of the fluids will under no circumstances influence the pistonlike valve element to move it away from any position at-which it has been set. Another object of the invention is to provide such a valve wherein `all controls are accomplished through a single movable valve part and wherein all wearing parts tare readily accessible for service or'replacement when necessary.

Further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention are made apparent in the followingspeciflcation wherein reference ismade tothe accompanying drawings illustrating the ,invention in vone of its preferred forms.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view .0f a mixing valve embodying the present invention;

Fig` 2 is a sectional View taken on the line II-lIofFig.1;

Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of a portion only vofthe valve shown in Figs. 1 and 2 viewed from Athe line III-III in Fig. 2 with a cap part removed;

V`Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation .of the portion shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 2 illustrating the positions of the valve parts in full open condition;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the positions of the same parts in their closed ,or shut-off condition;

Figs. v'7, J8 and 9 .are fragmentary views in section on the line VII- VII of Fig. 5 showing three 'different positions of the hot Water control valve;

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are similar views on the line X-X of Fig. 5 illustrating respectively the 'same positions of the cold'water control valve;

vFig. 13 is a'view in elevation of a cap member which closes one end of the valve chamber; and "Fig, 14 is a sectional view taken Aon the line XIV- XIV of Fig. 13. K Y

.The valve disclosed-inthe drawings is of the `faucet `type with a delivery spout such as may "be used over a sink ortray but this disclosure intended only to illustrate theprinciples of the present invention and the 'spout vportion-'may be yeliminanted so that thevalve could vbe assembled in# aepipe line as `'is customary Ain-s'l-iower NAbaths and other household orA industrial equipment as will .appear from the following description.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6, the valve of the present `invention has a substantially cylindrical body member lil longitudinally bored for the passage of liquid land for the reception of the `main valve element with a threaded connec- .tion H to admit hot-water, a similar connection I2 to admit cold water and a discharge passage v|3. ,Hot water may, therefore, enter the body of the valve through a port I4 and cold water .through a port l5 by rway of a passage l5 which communicates with the cold water inlet l2. The hot and cold Water so entering the body of the valvemay flow toward each other to a central mixing chamber I1 in controlled amounts to be discharged through the discharge passage E3 at any desired temperature. A valve spool I3 is reciprocably and rotatably mounted in the bore 0f the valve .body and may be manipulated as bya handle or lever I9 to control by reciprocal movement the quantity of water delivered through the valve and -by rotary or angular movement the temperature thereof.

The manner in which the valve spool I3 is Aconnected with the lever I9 for manipulation thereby is best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 13 and 14. The lever |59 is pivotally supported on a pin 2l carried in bosses 22, see Figs. 13 and 14, formed Aon a cap 23 which closes the forward end of the valve body. The cap 23 has a suitable opening l.through which the lower end of the lever enters ported on the end ofthe valve body so that the lever i9 may be rocked through the positions shown in Fig. 1 and thus, also, impart rotary adjustment to the valve member I8.

The manner of securing the cap .23 to the valve body is illustrated in Figs. V3 .and 4 showing the end of the valve body and Figs. 13 and 14 illustrating the cap itself. In Figs. 3 and 4, the valve body lll is shown as having a reduced end portion 26 with its upper part cut away towards its outer end as illustrated at 2l. It also carries aY radially projecting thrust shoulder 28 throughout a portion of its periphery. The cap 23 has an internal diameter just suiiicient to receive the reduced end of the valve body audits open end is enlarged as indicated in Figures 13 and 14. at

'29 to slide over the thrust shoulder 28 -whentlie cap is in an inverted position. A thrust -ilange 3i) is arranged adjacent the edge of the cap to-be received behind the thrust shoulder 28 when-the o a cap is turned from an inverted to an upright position and withdrawal of the cap is thereby prevented.

Assembly of the lever and cap, together with the valve member i8, is accomplished by iirst assembling the journal 2i of the lever in its bear.

ing block 25 then after the cap has been assembled onto the end of the body member, the lever with the bearing block 25 may be inserted through the opening in the cap and when the bearing block has been received in the recess in the valve member, the pin 2l is inserted and secured in place by any suitable means such as a threaded connection, not shown, between one of its ends and one of the bosses 22.

To control the new of water through the hot inlet port Hl and the cold inlet l5, the valve member I8 is cylindrically formed at portions which close both of these ports when the valve member is in its normal position as shown in Figs, 2 and 6. The cylindrical parts of the valve member are cut away or relieved through half their diameter as at 32 adjacent the hot port i4 and 33 adjacent the cold port l so that upon pivotal movement of the lever le toward its dotted line position in Fig. 2, the valve member slides toward the rear and uncovers both ci the ports ifi and l5 to any desired opening, the full open position being that illustrated in Fig. 5. This admits hot water through the bore of the valve, as

is shown in Fig. 5, toward the central mixing chamber l'i and also admits cold water to the same chamber. The cylindrical part of the Valve adjacent the cold water inlet is 1relieved on the side opposite the inlet as indicated at 55, see also Fig. l0, to provide space for the ow of the cold water through the bore of the valve body. With the cold water port l5 and the hot water port I4, either partially or fully opened by reciprocal movement of the valve member, the proportion of hot and cold Water flowing toward the mixing chamber may be controlled by movement of the valve lever il? from side to side or through the several positions illustrated in Fig. l. During this movement the half relieved portions of the valve member i8 opposite the hot port I4, as shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, may assume a partially open, fully closed or fully open position,

respectively, while the cold water port I5, as

shown in Figs. 10, il, and i2, will be partially opened, fully opened and fully closed, respectively, at the same time.

While the cylindrical portions of the valve element, if suiiiciently closely tted, may be relied upon to prevent leakage through the ports I4 and l5 when the valve is in its shut-oli position, it may be desirable to avoid the necessary close manufacturing toleranc-es ior this purpose and shut-off seals are therefore provided and carried by the valve member is as shown at 38 and 39, These seals are in the form of circular pliable gaskets usually referred to as O ring seals and are supported in suitable grooves in Ithe valve member ior cooperation with shoulders in the bore ci the valve body adjacent the opposite sides of the mixing chamber il. Thus the seals, as shown in Fig. 2, close communication between the inlet ports from the hot and cold water supply when the valve is in its closed position .but opens suchcommunication as shown in Fig. 5 when the valve is in its open position.

Leakage past opposite ends of the valve member is also preferably prevented by similar seals illustrated at it and il carried in grooves formed in the valve member and engaging the cylindrica Wall of the bore in the valve body. l

One of the advantages of the structure herein shown results from the fact that even though the valve element I8 is of piston-like construction slidable in a cylindrical bore, the pressures of the fluids entering the bore as well as the back pressure which may result if a restricted discharge opening is employed can in no case affect the position of the valve element. Consequently, the valve element will not slide or creep due to pressures within th`e valve and when the lever has been set in any desired position, it will remain in that position and the temperature and volume of thc Water will remain constant until the lever is moved manually. This results from the fact that both the hot water inlet and the cold water inlet communicate with cut away portions in the pistons or in other words, are introduced to the piston at ports intermediate its ends. Consequently, the fluid pressure acting on the piston acts equally in opposite directions at all times and there is no tendency for the piston to be moved away from the position in which it has been set. Likewise, any back pressure that would be created in the valve, as might occur if a spray nozzle were used, is exerted through the same passages and such pressure acts upon the valve element equally in opposite directions again prohibiting any tendency of the valve element to be moved.

A delivery spout i2 is illustrated as associated withthe discharge opening i3 and has a cylindrical portion i3 which embraces the casting in which the discharge opening I3 is formed. This casting is circumferentially grooved as at lli and has a plurality oi ports 45 communicating from its inner bore to the passage lil and thus to the discharge spout 62. A threaded plug 46 serves both to retain the spout in place and seal the lower open end of discharge passage i3. This construction permits swinging movement of the spout. Suitable seals, such as shown at lll and til, are employed to prevent leakage at the point of connection of the spout with the valve.

With the structure herein illustrated, an enicient, easily controlled and positively acting mixing valve is obtained with but a single valve element readily controlled by a single lever and easily removable for inspection or replacement. Manipulation of the operating lever will serve both to control volume without disturbing the temperature or the water and to control ternperature without disturbing the volume of water discharged. Furthermore, the valve herein disclosed is simple in construction and neat in appearance and may be manufactured at relatively low cost.

i claim:

i. A mixing valve comprising a body having a generally cylindrical bore and longitudinally spaced apart inlet ports communicating with said bore for admitting fluids, said bore also having a mixing chamber intermediate said inlet ports, said body also having an outlet port communicating with said mixing chamber, a valve element mounted in said bore for reciprocation and partial rotation and having spaced apart substantially cylindrical portions of uniform diameter sealingly engaging said bore adjacent said inlet ports, said cylindrical portions being spaced apart a distance to'simultaneously engage the bore between the mixingY chamber and the respective inlet port to close both of said inlet ports in a predetermined axial position of said element to provide a closed position for saidvalve, the valve element having relieved portions along only a portion of its periphery adjacent each cylindrical portion, said relieved portions adapted to simultaneously register with the respective inlet port in the open position of said valve upon reciprocation of said element, one cylindrical portion being disposed in the mixing chamber which is of larger diameter than said one portion and the other portion being disposed on the side of the respective inlet port remote from the mixing chamber whereby the inlet ports are in communication with the mixing chamber through the respective reduced portion in the valve-open position, and means to rotate the valve element whereby the registry of said relieved parts with said inlet ports can be varied to thereby vary the proportion of iiow through said inlet ports to the mixing chamber.

2. A mixing valve comprising a body having a generally cylindrical bore and longitudinally spaced apart inlet ports communicating with said bore for admitting fluids, said bore also having a mixing chamber intermediate said inlet ports, said body also having an outlet port communicating with said mixing chamber, a valve element mounted in said bore for reciprocation and partial rotation and having spaced apart substantially cylindrical portions fitting said bore adjacent said inlet ports, said cylindrical portions being spaced apart a distance to close both of said inlet ports in a predetermined axial position of said element to provide a closed position for said valve, each of said cylindrical portions having a part relieved along only a portion of its periphery and which is open to said mixing chamber to uncover the associated inlet port in another axial position of said valve element providing an open position for said valve, means to rotate the valve element whereby the registry of said relieved parts with said inlet ports can be varied to thereby vary the proportion of fiow through said inlet ports to the mixing chamber, spaced apart substantially cylindrical sealing surfaces on the wall of said bore located between said mixing chamber and said linlet ports, and spaced apart annular sealing means on said valve element between said cylindrical portions thereof providing seals against said substantially cylindrical surfaces in said closed position of said valve element.

3. A mixing valve comprising a body having a generally cylindrical bore and longitudinally spaced apart inlet ports communicating with said bore for admitting fluids, said bore also having a mixing chamber intermediate said inlet ports, said body also having an outlet port communicating with said mixing chamber, a valve element mounted in said bore for reciprocation and partial rotation and having spaced apart substantially cylindrical portions fitting said bore adjacent said inlet ports, said cylindrical portions being spaced apart a distance to close both of said inlet ports in a predetermined axial position of said element to provide a closed position for said valve, each of said cylindrical portions having a part relieved along only a portion of its periphery and which is open to said mixing chamber to uncover the associated inlet port in another axial position of said valve element providing an open position for said valve, means to rotate the valve element whereby the registry of said relieved parts with said inlet ports can be varied to thereby vary the proportion of flow through said inlet ports to the mixing chamber, spaced apart substantially cylindrical sealing surfaces on the wall of said bore located between said mixing chamber and said inlet ports, and spaced apart annular sealing means on said valve element between said cylindrical portions thereof and with a reduced area therebetween providing seals against said substantially cylindrical surfaces in said closed position of said valve element, said mixing chamber being between said sealing surfaces and being of greater diameter than said sealing surfaces, and a portion of sa-id bore between said mixing chamber and one of said inlet ports being also of greater diameter than said sealing surfaces to permit now from said one inlet port past the sealing means in the open position of the valve element.

4. A mixing valve comprising a body having a generally cylindrical bore and longitudinally spaced apart inlet ports communicating with said bore for admitting iiuids, said bore also having a mixing chamber intermediate said inlet ports, said body also having an outlet port communicating with said mixing chamber, a valve element mounted in said bore for reciprocation and partial rotation and having spaced apart substantially cylindrical portions tting said bore adjacent said inlet ports, said cylindrical portions being spaced apart a distance to close both of said inlet ports in a predetermined axial position of said element to provide a closed position for said valve, each of said cylindrical portions having a part relieved along only a portion of its periphery and which is open to said mixing chamber to uncover the associated inlet port in another axial position of said valve element providing an open position for said valve, means to rotate the valve element whereby the registry of said relieved parts with said inlet ports can be varied to thereby vary the proportion of flow through said inlet ports to the mixing chamber, spaced apart substantially cylindrical sealing surfaces on the wall of said bore located between said mixing chamber and said inlet ports, spaced apart annular sealing means on said valve element between said cylindrical portions thereof and with a reduced area therebetween providing seals against said substantially cylindrical surfaces in said closed position of said valve element, said mixing chamber being between said sealing surfaces and being of greater diameter than said sealing surfaces, a portion of said bore between said mixing chamber and one of said inlet ports being also of greater diameter than said sealing surfaces to permit ow from said one inlet past the sealing means in the open position of the valve element, and the means to rotate said valve element including a member rotatably mounted on said body, and a control lever pivotally connected to said rotatable member and to said valve element for effecting axial movement of said valve element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 375,508 Rodman Dec. 27, 1887 789,026 Huston May 2, 1905 1,169,090 Lucke Jan. 18, 1916 1,872,626 Ernst Aug. 16, 1932 2,087,223 'I'hompson July 13, 1937 2,342,763 Smith Feb. 29, 1944 2,471,289 Sedgwick May 24, 1949 2,490,726 Bauberger Dec. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 281,616 Italy of 1931 

